Kaiden Guhle to join Canadiens on road trip after missing two months with injury

The Montreal Canadiens announced Monday that defenseman Kaiden Guhle will join the team on its upcoming four-game road trip beginning Tuesday against the St. Louis Blues.

Sidelined since late January after undergoing quadricep muscle surgery, the 23-year-old rearguard appears close to resuming his season following 44 appearances with the Canadiens earlier in 2024-25 in which he registered four goals and 10 assists for 14 points coupled with 27 penalty minutes and a plus-two rating.

Originally chosen 16th overall by Montreal in the 2020 NHL Draft, the Edmonton native is skating in his third season with the Canadiens following a successful showing in 2023-24 where through 70 appearances he collected six goals and 16 assists for 22 points. In all, through 158 career contests, Guhle has tallied 14 goals and 40 assists for 54 points.

Last July, the Canadiens signed Guhle to a six-year extension that carries a $5.55-million annual average value, per PuckPedia. The new contract will begin in the upcoming 2025-26 season.

A dominant defender in the junior ranks, Guhle spent part of five seasons with the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders and Edmonton Oil Kings in which he totaled 22 goals and 78 assists for 100 points in 181 career games. A two-time Ed Chynoweth Cup champion, the 2022 postseason also saw Guhle recognized as the WHL playoff MVP after he put up 16 points counting eight goals and eight assists in 19 games en route to the championship. Guhle has also seen success in international competition including silver medals at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and World Juniors.

For the Canadiens, on the season the club sits 33-27-9 to hold down the first wildcard seed in the Eastern Conference with 75 points. The Canadiens have not qualified for the postseason since the team’s run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2021.